Each month I am consistently impressed by this fab writer/art team on
Supergirl. The interesting, intriguing, and thoroughly enjoyable
storyline currently playing out in the book is, perhaps, the best
Supergirl story since, well, ever. In fact, all the Superman books have
been reinvigorated as late thanks to all the Kryptonian madness going
on across the DCU. What with the rise of all the new Kryptonians, the
new Planet Krypton, Supergirl’s mother turning into a stern, mega-jerk,
and the ongoing mystery of the identity behind the villainous
Superwoman, this book is firing on all creative cylinders. And it’s
about time!

I always enjoy a story that surprises me - there’s nothing worst them
being able to guess what’s going to happen next - and the opening pages
in this issue were an excellent example of a satisfying story catching
me off guard. I loved how at first it appears Superwoman is heroically
protecting the girlfriend of the villainous Reactron as he’s trying to
blast her to bits (the a-hole!). But low and behold, Superwoman wasn’t
trying to save the poor girls life, oh no, she just didn’t want to
leave a trail that would lead back to Reactron. So instead of letting
Reactron blast the girlfriend into next week Superwoman uses her heat
vision and a gas stove to blow up the poor girl and her apartment
(dastardly!). Superwoman’s orders were to make the girlfriend’s death
look “accidental” and I’d say she succeeded. Good, twisty stuff. Aside
from the continuing saga of this evil Superwoman, it’s also great to
see Supergirl have some much needed character development. The Girl of
Steel is not only struggling with her mother’s bossy, coldness but also
with her own inner turmoil - Supergirl secretly wishes it was her
mother who was killed and not her father! Whoa! Heavy, terrific stuff!
It’s small, personal reveals like this that make the reader really feel
for Supergirl.

I must give special, major props to artist Jamal Igle for his
expressive, dynamic pencils. With each issue he only seems to get
better and better, which is only more evident when Talent Caldwell
steps in to cover a few pages. You know an artist is emotionally
connecting with the story and the reader when you genuinely miss his
art, despite how good Caldwell is. My only, small complaint? At times,
with all the characters and numerous plotlines Supergirl seems to
almost be a guest star in her own book. Don’t get me wrong, the
developing storylines and new characters have given fresh, exciting
life to the comic, but it would be nice to keep the spotlight always
shining on the girl in question. Let’s keep the Girl in the Supergirl
and make sure the secondary characters take the backseat. Otherwise,
this issue, and this series, is a good, solid read!

Uncanny X-Men #507

Uncanny X-Men #507

Writer: Matt Fraction

Penciller: Terry Dodson

Inker: Rachel Dodson

Colorist: Justin Ponsor

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Review by David Pepose

While the end of Matt Fraction's latest arc is more subdued than you'd
expect, it's still a satisfying read that proves this flagship X-book
is some of the best stuff Marvel has to offer.

Matt Fraction opens up the book with one of my favorite subplots for
the series, a team of super-scientists called "The X-Club." Mixing some
well-placed one-liners upon a foundation of surprising trivia (who'd've
thought Charles Darwin had a dinner club of scientists called the
X-Club?), the book immediately impresses. But Fraction is juggling more
balls in the air than his pack of human-mutant polymaths, as he deftly
weaves into his main story, teaming up Colossus with Emma Frost in
their takedown of a mutant Russian gangster. The story is a testament
to both Fraction and the artistic talents of Terry and Rachel Dodson,
as it shifts back and forth and establishes a visual continuity between
these seemingly unrelated scenes.

Of course, while I thoroughly enjoyed this issue, it isn't perfect. In
many ways, I think the B-story may have overpowered the heart of the
issue. By having Angel out himself as Archangel in front of Beast -- in
addition to giving the winged mutant a hard-core display of warrior
prowess -- it sort of steals the thunder of Peter Rasputin's emotional
journey. (Then again, based on everything Fraction's written in the
past, from Casanova to Iron Man, perhaps it’s not a surprise that his
enthusiasm for a band of super-scientists might be so contagious it
eclipses other subplots. I still liked it.) For me, the only point
where this issue really stumbled was the punchline of Peter's story
arc: having the villain of the piece suddenly sprout heart-shaped
tattoos with Kitty Pryde all over it felt a little goofy, and certainly
didn't seem to reflect Peter's intentions: "I want someone to hurt as
bad as I do." This may be more a failing for the art, because the words
ring truer than the action.

Now I'd be remiss if I didn't add that this book holds some
farther-reaching implications for the band of merry mutants. Emma
Frost's confrontation with Sebastian Shaw -- to protect him from the
fury of Prince Namor as well as to punish him for his creation of the
Sentinels -- used past and current continuity to its advantage. And
while I won't spoil the last two pages, it looks like we'll be seeing
an old X-villain make his triumphant return. All of the issues of Uncanny
I've been reviewing have been spectacular in packing in so much story
with such spectacular art -- art which the Dodsons have been making
both stylish and kinetic for readers. With this team on Uncanny X-Men, I can't wait to see what happens next month.

Ultimatum #3

Ultimatum #3

From: Marvel Comics

Writer: Jeph Loeb

Artist: David Finch

Reviewed by: Richard Renteria

Eschewing any sense of humor or hope, Jeph Loeb and David Finch
continue their journey of destroying the Ultimate Universe and
thankfully both put their best foot forward. With a script overflowing
with tension and some powerful art, Ultimatum is starting to become
that one super-hero event where anything really can happen.

From the opening moments of this issue with Magneto to the end when the
heroes start to band together, Loeb moves the story at a brisk pace.
With key story moments happening in quick succession Loeb takes great
care in constructing believable scenes that greatly impact the
unfolding drama and smartly avoids any kind of off-hand humor as the
carnage increases. Loeb’s handling of Hank Pym is especially noticeable
not only in his reaction to the Wasp’s death but his handling of the
multiple men of Jamie Madrox (brief note, the Madrox situation is dealt
with in ,b>Ultimate X-Men #100). His emotional reaction to Jan’s
death is palpable and really comes across as believable and sad.

Continuing to prove his worth as an artist David Finch provides some
great art this issue. The contrast between the first two scenes this
issue were nicely done and help to immerse the reader in the story.
Finch puts a lot of work into his art and in this issue it really
shows, background are given the same attention as characters and it
really adds to the overall believability of the issue. Danny Miki
provides some solid inks and does a masterful job of helping to define
specific characters especially in mob scenes.

As Ultimatum hits its half-way point it becomes apparent
that the phrase anything can happen really does apply to this title and
the team of Loeb and Finch are up to the task. If anything the Ultimate
Universe will never be the same again.

Ultimate X-Men #100

Ultimate X-Men #100

Writer: Aron E. Coleite

Penciler: Mark Brooks

Inker: Karl Story

Colorist: Edgar Delgado

Publisher: Marvel

Review by David Pepose

I suppose it's ironic that while Ultimate X-Men started
its 100-issue run as one of the highest-selling X-books on the stands,
it ends its run on more of a whimper. That's not to say this is a
terrible book, but after reading it, all I could say was: I've read
this story before.

It's a surprising choice on the publisher's part to end a series on a character piece. But in the end, that's what Ultimate X-Men #100
is: it's told from the perspective of Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man.
While his mainstream rendition is leader of the mutant noir book X-Factor, Ultimate Jamie Madrox has been working as a suicide bomber in Magneto's acts of mass destruction (which you can read in Ultimatum).
In that, I think Coleite succeeds -- he gives the Madri fairly
interesting interior monologues that shows us that they are people, not
automatons.

But unfortunately, the strengths of the story end there. If you didn't
catch the Madri reference above, I feel like I've already read this
story before -- in 1995, with Amazing X-Men #4,
a story from the Age of Apocalypse. For those who don't remember, this
was a story of how an alternate universe's X-Men finally shut down the
Madri, a deadly band of Jamie Madrox clones utilized by a mad mutant
dictator. Sound familiar? That is pretty much the gist of Ultimate X-Men #100,
down to the morally ambiguous discovery of a surprisingly misunderstood
mutant. And the conclusion of this story -- which I'm still not giving
away -- is almost completely mirrored by how Wolverine had to deal with
a young mutant in Ultimate X-Men #41. (And the scenes of terror seem ripped from scenes of Mark Millar's Ultimates 2 series, as well as his run on Ultimate X-Men's second arc, Weapon X.)

You can understand that when I've read this book -- and it seems way
too similar to earlier arcs from the same series -- it just feels like
a particularly undignified way for a once-great series to wrap up. It's
a shame, too -- with Jeph Loeb's Ultimatum
series, with the surprise death of a pillar of the X-Men group, this
would have been a spectacular time for the X-Men to soul-search and
really agonize about the moral lines they must cross. Instead, the
tension and stakes really aren't there, and before you know it, the
book merc

Black Lightning #6

ifully ends, telling you to go back to Ultimatum if
you really want to know what happens next. It's a shame, because the
art by Mark Brooks is usually pretty good with its action, if tonally
wrong for how desperate and scary this book should have been. Rest in
peace, Ultimate X-Men -- we forgive you of your sins, remember the good times of yesteryear, and pray for a resurrection.

Black Lightining: Year One #6

Written by Jen Van Meter

Art by Cully Hamner

Colors by Laura Martin; lettering by Sal Cipriano

Published by DC Comics

Review by Lan Pitts

In issue #6 of this six-issue miniseries, Jefferson Pierce, a.k.a.
Black Lightning, squares off against Tobias Whale and the 100. Jen Van
Meter's characterization may have polarized readers (I have some
friends that really dig this series, and I have friends who dropped it
after the third issue.) Nonetheless, she did what the series was
intended for: to update Black Lightning's origin and to make it a solid
read. I say "mission accomplished" to both of those intentions.

Black Lightning's narration throughout the issue really helped me
believe in the character. I compared this series to a sort of "Walking
Tall"-like story: the "costumed superhero out to save the streets" sort
of angle. Some may see that as a bit cliche, but it works here. As
usual, Cully Hamner's artwork flows effortlessly, and the panel layout
is easy to grasp. Nothing too shocking (pun INTENDED) occurs here,
since we know that BL is still around in the modern day.

I have heard recently that DC is going to stop production on the "Year
One" style of stories, and to me that is a damn shame. With these sort
of stories, the creatives can have some serious fun and, at the same
time, put their stamp on a given character (like Black Lightning here).
I can only think of one at the top of my head, Eddy Newell. Then again,
I'm not a Black Lightning aficionado. Van Meter and Hamner have
definitely told a great story and put their collective stamp on this
character.

If you missed it the first time around, you should check it out in
trade format coming this fall. I really enjoyed how Van Meter shed some
light on this character. To me, I was inspired to check out some
earlier Black Lightning material. This early into 2009, I'm considering
Black Lightning: Year One for my favorite miniseries of the year.

Wolverine #71

Wolverine #71

From: Marvel Comics

Writer: Mark Millar

Artist: Steve McNiven

Reviewed by: Richard Renteria

The current storyline running through Wolverine is
definitely a refreshing read that smartly relies on an appropriate dose
of dark humor partnered with an entertaining concept that does not rely
on continuity but rather works hard to entertain the reader. Venom
T-Rex,alone should be reason enough for picking up this title but
thanks to the skillful pen of Mark Millar and the even more skillful
pencils of Steve McNiven the T-Rex is just scratching the surface of
this action-packed, twist-filled, oh shit surprise ending issue of Wolverine.

There really are no words to describe what it is about this story arc
that I enjoy so much. Whether it be Millar’s liberal abuse of Marvel
continuity or his literal take on his newest Marvel locations, Pym
Falls indeed, the story is told with reckless abandon as one idea flows
into the next in an almost seamless narrative that keeps the story
moving constantly forward. Millar’s introduction of Emma into the story
was a nice twist and her explanation as to why she looks so young
seemed completely in-character. Even if the revelation of the current
president of the Marvel U next issue is a bit predictable this issue,
the ending will have most readers on the edge of their seats in
anticipation of the next chapter.

One of the aspects of this storyline that I have been enjoying on
Millar’s Wolverine arc is the slight homage “Old Man Logan” is to the
classic Peter David/George Perez Hulk story, “Future Imperfect.”
Throughout the story Millar landscape is desolate and vast reminiscent
of “Future Imperfect;” and much like David’s reliance on Perez, Millar
relies on Steve McNiven to convey the desolation in a visually
believable manner.

McNiven has always been a talented artist, but with “Old Man Logan” he
has really developed a more organic style. His artwork, while just as
detailed, no longer feel like static images. The action moves freely
and McNiven’s rendering of Black Bolt stopping the T-Rex perfectly
captures his new found ability to create a believable action scene. If
I had to point out one problem I had with the art it would be Emma’s
neck, it looks way to long and certain scenes made it look as if her
head was hovering over her body.

Dexter Vines continue to perfectly compliment McNiven’s pencils as
his inks never overwhelms the art. Meanwhile Morry Hollowell continues
to prove why he is one of the best colorists in the business and
enhances the overall effectiveness of the story’s atmosphere with a
natural color palette that shows vibrant splashes of color when
necessary.

Stories that are out of continuity are legion so it is up to the
creators to give the reader a concept that is not only entertaining but
balances the reader’s familiarity with the characters in an
understandable concept. For me, Millar and McNiven perfectly provide
this balance while providing some solid entertainment in Wolverine.

Groom Lake #1

Groom Lake #1

Written by Chris Ryall

Art by Ben Templesmith

From IDW

Review by Brendan McGuirk

In comics, as in life, being called “funny,” can be a kiss of death.
Sure, comedy is a great tool in holding one's attention, and is really
the universe's most potent social lubricant. The problem is when
something gets labeled “funny,” it sacrifices the ability to be taken
seriously.

So I don't want to tell you that Chris Ryall and Ben Templesmith's Groom Lake is funny as hell. You understand.

Groom Lake, named for the location more commonly referred to as
Area 51, is a book about little green men. It is a book that taps into
the shared consciousness of what we expect otherworldly aliens to be,
and how we believe we might interact with them. It is chalk-full of
hick abductions, government spooks, giant killer robots, and anal
probes.

Ben Templesmith is really on the top of his game. It is damn near
impossible to find anyone else who is as effective in artistically
conveying mood without sacrificing narrative clarity. His color choices
are haunting when they need to be, and striking when the moment
demands. His aliens, robots and monsters are iconic and stark, and his
human actors are expressive and dramatic. It also seems that his work
with Warren Ellis on Fell,
where the book was explicitly set to a 9-panel grid, has matured
Templesmith's sense of image economy. In this, there is style by the
loads, but each panel is direct and substantive, and the work soars.

Ryall has a great sense of the familiarity of extraterrestrials. By
utilizing the most vivid tropes of an alien experience he reveals that
the strangest thing about aliens is our inability to wrap our minds
around them. We can't imagine them as anything other than humanoid, and
we can't think of anything better for them to want from us than our
obviously succulent bodies. As a breed, we really are strange as hell.

In this first chapter, readers are introduced to a world of intrigue
and abduction. We meet Karl Bauer, whose uncle was a victim of
intergalactic kidnapping, Leticia Pope, the sullen, embittered leader
of a secretive alien/ human agency, and Archibald the cigarette smoking
alien. It's quite the gang. Before long, Bauer is sucked into a
whirlpool of power and paranormalcy and our story is on its way.

Groom Lake is an exercise in paranoia and horror. It is lushly
illustrated, with a punchy script. Truth be told, read this issue and
you might laugh. Funny stuff goes down when humans meet the otherwise.
But Chris Ryall and Ben Templesmith did better than make a funny comic,
they made a damn good one.

Popeye vol 3

Popeye vol. 3: Let’s You and Him Fight!

Written & Illustrated by E.C. Segar

Published by Fantagraphics

Reviewed by Michael C Lorah

The most recent edition of Fantagraphics gorgeous Popeye
reprints compiles the daily strips from June 9, 1932 to Dec. 9, 1933,
Sundays dated Oct. 9, 1932 to Nov. 26, 1933 (dailies and Sundays ran
separate storylines, to the irregular break points are done to
accommodate the storylines unfolding in each section), and a
completely original two-week-long daily serial created to promote the
World’s Fair in Chicago, which Segar somehow managed to complete in
addition to the regular daily and Sunday strips.

As with previous volumes of Popeye, it’s a cornucopia of
mangled English, slapstick, violence and hamburger soliciting. In the
dailies, Segar continues to mix humor and adventure, beginning with
Popeye’s first-ever encounter with Bluto en route to a hidden treasure.
After bestowing the treasure to his friend King Blozo, Popeye elects to
start his own kingdom, Popilania, on an island neighboring Blozo’s land.

The Sundays revolve almost entirely around Popeye and J. Wellington
Wimpy’s friendship, with Wimpy’s frequent attempts to freeload
hamburgers from Rough-House, or from Popeye himself after Popeye and
Olive start up their own diner. Personally, I find the Wimpy strips hit
and miss – later strips are better, after Segar has established Wimpy’s
modus operandi and begins to spin creative variants on the portly one’s
scrounging ways (such as Popeye snowballing Rough-House’s fill-in cook
with stories about Wimpy’s royal lineage!). Early Wimpy strips seem to
set up one of Wimpy’s three stock punchlines, and consequently become a
little tiresome.

Fantagraphics continues to knock it out of the park with their work on
the production of these books. The line art is strong and clear, rarely
showing any of its seventy-plus years of age, and the Sunday’s coloring
is appropriately flat, but crisp and clear. The immense pages show off
the Sundays at their full intended size, and the towering pages allow
an entire week of dailies to fit onto a single page. The sturdy
cut-away covers are striking, leaping off bookshelves (if they’re
turned face-out anyway).

With his fun designs and slapstick exaggeration, Segar’s art has always
been a plus, and nothing about that changes here. His use of blacks
during night sequences, as well as the kinetic lines adding bounce and
energy to the fighting and dancing, is particularly striking.

E.C. Segar’s Popeye hasn’t been seen in over seventy
years, since Segar’s too-early death in 1938, yet it remains one of the
most revered and popular comic strips in history. Forget what you think
you know about Popeye – cartoons, recent strips or movies – because
Segar’s Popeye is a true originator. It’s packed with adventure
and humor, strong art, inventive and complex stories, and features more
slam-bang punching than any other ten comics. It is a true, to use a
much abused word, classic.

Necronomicon

Necronomicon TPB

From: Boom!

Writer: William Messner-Loebs

Art: Andrew Richey

Review by Mike Mullins

Not being a diehard fan of Lovecraft, I cannot tell you how consistent
this is with his works, but as someone who has read Lumley’s Dreamlands
saga, seen a few Lovecraft-based movies, and played a few games such as
Arkham Horror, this feels authentic.

The story is told as the protagonist, Abullad Said, Henry to his
American friends, tries to make his way through school at Miskatonic
University. Having trouble making ends meet, Henry ends up tutoring a
football player, Maxey, who introduces him to the Theosophists and some
familiar names such as Edward Pickman Derby and Randolph Carter.

The Theosophists eventually hire Henry to provide an accurate
translation of the Necronomicon, and the story moves through his
adventures, alongside Maxey and Maxey’s girlfriend, Rachel Schiff.
Rachel also provides the romantic interest for Henry. Between his
attraction to Rachel and the prevalence of alcohol at the Theosophist’s
meetings, a background story of Henry striving to maintain his virtue
in the eyes of his Islam heritage is a nice counterpoint to the growing
horrors. Henry’s fall from the morality he clung to parallels the
depths to which his investigation into the Necronomicon has taken him
into the existence of elder things, ancient gods, and alien races such
as the Mi-Go.

The story is paced reasonable well and the art does an adequate job of
depicting the story and allowing the reader to distinguish between the
characters. The dialogue and pacing keeps the reader interested and I
enjoyed the use of the letter from Henry to his father as a means of
kicking off the story, but also to tie-in how dangerous Henry’s enemies
were.

I only found the book lacking at the end. Not the resolution of the
story, that is well crafted and balances the outcome for the heroes
with their dire circumstances, but I wish there had been a bit more
time spent on the ending for Henry’s father.

My second point of contention with the graphic novel is the backup
story, Arkham SVU. This story does not seem as consistent with
Lovecraft’s mythos as the main story, and the elements of the story
just didn’t work as well for me. This was primarily to the horror
aspects of Lovecraft being part of everyday life rather than hidden
behind veils of secrecy with only the very rare academic knowing about
undead or elder things.

Overall, this should be a solid purchase for Lovecraft or horror fans.

PELLET REVIEWS!

Double-Shot Pellet: Uncanny X-Men #507 (Marvel: Reviewed by Brian Andersen):
I am loving Matt Fraction on Uncanny so much that in the first time in
ten plus years I actually look forward to the book each month. This
issue rocked in many ways, but for me, I was won over just because I
simply loved seeing Emma Frost and her diamondiness teaming up with the
brooding Colossus to beat up a bunch of naughty Russians. What a smart
team up! Colossus and Emma Frost! That could be a totally cool
mini-series. It’s great to see Emma play with being the physical
powerhouse and take pleasure in knocking around some very bad people. I
also loved that Angel finally revealed his ability to shift into the
deadly Archangel to the Beast. It’s great to see Beast’s reaction to
the return of the blue-skinned badass: a mixture of shock, fear, and
hurtfulness as to why Angel hid something like this from him. Betrayal
comes in many forms and the Beast’s dismay adds a healthy level of
reality to a series that is as far from real as you can go. Plus, the
final reveal at the end: Magneto! He’s back (again!). The X-Men have
always been more than just a superhero book, as the strength of the
stories, the success of the writer, lies solely on how well the
humanity of the characters is handled. Readers care for the X-Men
because they’re well developed characters and we want equal parts
fighting and soap opera drama. Thankfully, Fraction gets this. And
nails it!

Tiny Titans #14 (DC: Reviewed by Brian Andersen): This always
witty, humorous, beyond awesome issue had me from the cover alone.
What’s not to love about Agualad and Lagoon Boy eating some cereal from
a winking Aquaman’s very own cereal called “Aqua-Oh’s?” Not much. Flip
open the cover and the one-panel gag inside is just as great: Wonder
Girl uses the lasso/jump rope of truth to find out where her fellow
Titans are hiding in their game of Hide n’ Seek. Hahah! Love it! Who
comes up with this stuff? How can creators Art Baltazar and Franco be
this clever? The entire issue is pure, multi-hued fun. From the
wonder-woman-outfitted Matilda the Minotaur and Cecelia Cyclops (and
her Titan hungry mother) to the Titan boys having to stand on a table
while visiting Paradise Island - because boys can’t touch the ground of
Paradise Island - this comic is a delightful romp. It’s a testament to
the creative time that a kid’s comic can deliver more energy and vigor
than most superhero comics on the stands now. Excellent stuff!

Amazing Spider-Man #588 (Marvel Comics; Reviewed by Richard):
Marc Guggenheim does his best impression of a closing pitcher and tries
to wrap up over a year’s worth of sub-plots with varying degrees of
success. At this point the whole Spider-Tracer mystery seems completely
pointless and comes across as a story point that conveniently puts
Spidey at odds with his alter-egos roommate; which is a problem that
multiplies when one realizes that every new character that was
introduces at the start of Brand New Day was just basically a plot
device with very little potential beyond said plot as their characters
have never really been fleshed out beyond the need for their story
involvement (the one exception being Menace). Adding to my overall
disappointment with this wrap-up is the rushed artwork. While I am a
fan of John Romita Jr’s, his art this issue felt unusually sloppy at
various times, which probably had something to do with him animating
and directing a sequence in the Kick-Ass movie.

Potter’s Field: Stone Cold #1 (From Boom!; review by Jeff Marsick):
This issue should never have been written as a one-shot. The enigmatic
John Doe discovers some of the Potter’s Field interred have been
cherry-picked by members of the NYPD to exploit for purposes of
identity fraud. It’s the infamous NYPD taxi service updated for the new
millennium. But what might have made for a compelling mini-series is
hyper-compressed into a laughable quagmire of forcibly contrived action
(complete with it’s-New-York-therefore-add-obligatory-tie-in to 9/11)
that reads more like a bad cop drama, something written by Donald
Bellisario or Stephen J. Cannell. Getting through this issue demands
not so much disbelief suspension as outright expulsion as the reader is
whisked at ludicrous speed from scene to improbable scene,
verisimilitude be damned. Paul Azaceta, a terrific artist who is going
to crank the long ball on Marvel’s upcoming Punisher Noir, is
the only real selling point to this issue, but even he cannot provide
enough lift to overcome the weight of Mark Waid’s anchor. Mr. Waid is a
very talented writer, but choosing to squeeze this story all into
twenty-six pages was a poor choice. You are better off spending your
money on the much better Potter’s Field TPB due out soon.

Stingers #1 (Zenescope; review by Jeff): Zenescope departs from
their bread-and-butter lines of cheesecake-heavy horror to spring upon
us a tale of sci-fi and terror. A bounty hunter named Hawk (who
probably wouldn’t be as groan-inducing if he didn’t so closely resemble
Avery Brooks’s Hawk from Spenser: For Hire), saddled with the
tired and predictable plot of ‘just-one-more-gig-and-then-I’m
done-forever’ agrees to take on a stereotypically ironic milk run to
rassle in a pair of bail jumpers hiding out from the mob in Sea Isle,
New Jersey. Problem is, some nasty refugees from a dying planet in the
Andromeda Galaxy have gotten to the Jersey jumpers first, so when Hawk
and Sea Isle’s hot sheriff enter the mix, staving off an alien invasion
is all but guaranteed. Wagner Reis’s pencils are inconsistent
throughout, especially devolving in action scenes, which when combined
with the heavy inks and bold colors makes the book feel like something
by Dagger Comics of yore. Mr. Reis’s clear weak spot is perspective,
and is most noticeable on vehicles: on page 14, only red tail lights
distinguish front from rear of the police cruiser and on 16, the door’s
window frame actually bows outward. Even the cover lacks enticement,
and the Al Rio option is a curious choice, given that Mark Sparacio’s
version on the “Chase” version is far superior. Zenescope has credit
with me, based on their other series which I’ve gushed about in the
past, which is why I’m in this for at least another issue. But I’ll
need to see something innovative and original in order to keep going,
two qualities this first issue certainly lacked.

Dark Avengers #3 (Marvel Comics; Reviewed by Richard):
Complimented by the moody art of Mike Deodato series writer Brian
Bendis does his best impression of a psychiatrist as Norman Osborn
comes to the aid of the Sentry and his battle with the Void. Has
Lindsey Reynolds really been on that bed since her demise in the
opening arc of Mighty Avengers? According to writer Brian Bendis, the
answer would be yes, at least I think it’s yes because by the end of
the scene I was still unsure. Regardless this issue does a lot to move
the Sentry’s story forward for good or ill. Also of note this issue was
Dr. Doom and his need to allow Osborn access to his armor’s schematics,
while the scene is a quick one I can’t help but wonder if that scene
will become important somewhere down the road. While Bendis continues
to play his cards very close to the vest in terms of Dark Reign he does
manage to tell an engaging superhero story, even if you the reader is
rooting against this particular set of Avengers.

Double-Shot Pellet: Supergirl #39 (DC Comics; review by Rev. O.J. Flow):
Man, this series is full of surprises. This third part of "Who Is
Superwoman" has more twists and turns than one would expect from this
series, a testament to the stellar work being turned in by Sterling
Gates and Jamal Igle. Just when you think you have an idea what
Superwoman's mysterious agenda is, she goes and throws the reader
another curveball. Her loyalties are unknown to all. There is a 4-page
hiccup in this issue in the form of some underwhelming fill-in art by
Talent Caldwell. I know Igle can't do every single page of every issue,
but editorial should have tapped an artist who was capable of making
the transition a little more seamless. So who is Superwoman anyway?
Honestly? I haven't a clue. I do hope the revelation that's due next
issue makes more sense than the one we got for Flamebird and Nightwing
in Action Comics. Not to say that it was unsatisfying, but it
hardly elicited an "Oh, yeah!" from me. I kind of gathered that I was
not alone in that sentiment. But right now Supergirl is as strong a title as DC has in its lineup, and it's a highlight of my routine trips to the local comic shop.

Hell's Blood #1 (Guild Works Productions; Reviewed by Erich Reinstadler):
Hector Rodriguez writes and draws this intriguing tale of witches and
demons in modern day Holyoke, Massachusetts. The book starts with an
old witch, Angela, meeting a very untimely, grisly death at the hands
of a demon. Life for her grandson Hector, however, gets a little more
complicated as he is hunted down by a rampaging horde of demons. The
issue ends with quite an interesting revelation, which naturally I will
not spoil. Having never been a fan of horror books, I have to admit I
was impressed with this book. Rodriguez, Scott Sheaffer and Keith
Murphey have produced a a nice black and white horror title, and I am
interested in seeing where the story leads. A good first issue.

Outsiders #16 (DC Comics; Reviewed by Erich Reinstadler): For an issue that didn't really do a whole hell of a lot, Outsiders #16
managed to do a hell of a lot. Mostly setting up the next arc, writer
Peter J. Tomasi was able to take what could have been a throw-away,
filler issue, and made it pretty important. The first thing he did was
deftly explain exactly why each member of the team was chosen.
Penciller Lee Garbett's use of Metamorpho's shape-changing abilities
brought the scene from mere exposition to something infinitely more fun
than it had any right to be. The second part of the book is the lead-in
to the next arc, as we are introduced to a seemingly random group of
people, all of whom are about to be declared dead, and are perfectly OK
with it. The people controlling them, The King Makers, don't seem to be
the usual breed of evil criminal organizations. They are much more
ruthless. Overall, as I said, an issue far better than could have been
expected. If I have any complaints, it's that Metamorpho still wear's
Shift's facial tattoos and swirly body designs. Based on why Shift let
himself be reabsorbed into Rex, I'd think that he'd be a little
reluctant to keep himself looking the same.